Owens CorningTrumbull Asphalt Celebrates Asphalt Day May 15

Asphalt Day is observed on May 15, but for Laurand Lewandowski, Director of Asphalt Innovation at Owens Corning, it’s about asphalt every day. Laurand has worked in the asphalt industry for more than three decades. Since 2011, he has supported Owens Corning Trumbull Asphalt, where he also helps advance innovations that support Owens Corning’s roofing business. Following are excerpts from a conversation with Laurand about how asphalt, a bituminous mixture used since ancient times, continues to support America’s infrastructure and roofs.

How has asphalt evolved to support applications in roofing and beyond?

Trumbull Asphalt’s legacy in the asphalt sector dates back more than a century. While the company’s asphalt offerings originally served the built-up roofing and residential roofing markets, material innovation has led to changes in asphalt coating composition. Asphalt continues to be a primary component in the production of residential shingles and is a strategic, backward-integrated material for the roofing business. At Owens Corning, we are continually driving innovations that help asphalt shingles perform under many different conditions.

How does asphalt relate to the broader economy, and to the business?

One of the interesting things about asphalt is that it’s very tied to the world’s geopolitical landscape. The fluctuating price of crude oil has a big influence on asphalt prices. The increase in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracking in the U.S. over the past decade has created new sources of crude oil and types of asphalt. These changes have altered the landscape of crude oil, which ultimately changes the landscape of asphalt. And as asphalt is a pivotal raw material in shingles, it’s also pivotal to our roofing business. 

How are environmental factors driving asphalt innovations?

Climate change is a priority for nations around the world. Within Owens Corning’s roofing business, an effort is underway to reduce shingle waste sent to landfills. Our shingle recycling pilot announced in 2022 is one innovation that aims to reduce landfill waste. 

We’re also working on material innovations that may help lower embodied carbon. As asphalt represents a large portion of the embodied carbon in a shingle, we feel it is important to find alternative materials that can deliver a high level of performance while reducing the amount of embodied carbon. This work will play a role in helping Owens Corning achieve progress toward the 2030 goals we’ve set as a company to reduce Scope 3 emissions. 

What are some promising opportunities you’re exploring to reduce carbon emissions?

We’re exploring many paths forward and testing and validation will be critical. Traditionally, we’ve made coatings by taking asphalt, oxidizing it in a converter and pumping it over to a shingle production plant. As material advancements occur, manufacturing processes must also be considered. For example, in the future, we may not use an oxidizer to support production, but opt for a different manufacturing method based on material components. 

How do customers’ desires – both homeowners and paving companies – affect the asphalt business?

Considering roofing, we have to look at the shingle waste issue. In the future we expect initiatives like “Buy Clean” programs and extended producer responsibilities will influence the market. The paving industry has already built out a circular economy with reclaimed asphalt pavement that enables this sector to recycle about 90M tons of asphalt each year. The challenge becomes how we align sustainability initiatives in paving with opportunities in the roofing space. We’re working hard to find those synergies.

Can you provide an example of the industry’s ambition to reduce waste in the value chain?

The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) set a goal to divert 50% of waste from landfills by 2035 and divert 100% of waste by 2050.¹

What factors will influence the industry’s success when it comes to achieving progress and reducing the environmental footprint of shingles?

It’s not a solo effort – we must do it as an industry. Everyone will need to bring their strategy and then work to proliferate that approach. At Owens Corning, we’re looking to deconstruct the shingle and then reuse the extracted contents where they can add the most value – whether that’s in recycled shingles or some other market. We’re also working on how we can get recycled asphalt shingles back into pavement so that the pavement performs and there is some additional value for the contractors.  

We have to build ecosystems across the country that make it practical for contractors to divert roofing materials away from the landfill. That process will take time and it must be incentivized for every part of the value chain.

As we observe Asphalt Day, what is the take home message?

According to Asphalt, the magazine of the Asphalt Institute, 80% of all the residential roofs in the U.S. and 94% of all U.S. roads make use of asphalt.² Asphalt is a critical part of our country’s infrastructure, and our homes. Beyond that, asphalt is interwoven into many different aspects of our society and has been for thousands of years. 

And one last thought about asphalt comes from a celebrity and a champion of the trades. I attended a convention where an author was signing books. When I told him what I did, he wrote “Asphalt Rocks” along with his autograph!

¹ ARMA Statement on Recycling of Asphalt Roofing Materials – Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA)

² Asphalt Day is May 15 – Asphalt magazine